visualizing

The first business plan for my coaching practice was written on the back of a placemat while waiting for a lobster in an out-of-the-way shack in Maine. It was 2004, and I was on my way to visit some friends for a little R&R. I started thinking about my business and made a few notes:

– How much money I wanted to make in the next year

– How I would price my services to meet my income goals

– How many clients that meant I needed

– What kind of programs that meant I needed to offer

– What kind of additional training I would need

– How I would talk about my services

While I deconstructed a delicious lobster, I noodled on my plan. And when I removed the very attractive bib from around my neck and paid my check, I had a strong, workable direction for my business.

And I put that one-year plan in my purse and didn’t look at it again for six months.

Surprisingly, though, in that six months, I had done everything on my plan. Ahead of plan.

That’s right – I didn’t obsess, or over-think. I just executed.

Because the mere process of creating the plan – just putting my to-dos top of mind – catalyzed my action.

Now, there are those who detest plans. Maybe because they think plans are too rigid, don’t allow for creativity, aren’t that spontaneous, won’t accommodate serendipity.

[These people tend to – in Myers-Briggs talk – have a strong preference for “Perceiving”, the dear darlings. They value flexibility above all and will do anything in their power to preserve their ability to go with the flow. And I completely get it. That’s why I started this post of with the lobster story – just to show all those P people that planning can be easy. And tasty.]

A great plan, though, is not judged on how many tabs, tables and cross-references it includes.

A great plan is judged on how well it works.

With a plan, you know where to put your energy.

With a plan, you have a direction.

With a plan, you know what to say a whole-hearted “Yes!” to, and what to put in the “When There’s Time” file.

And planning can be easy. Easy-peasy.

Want to do one yourself? OK, take out a placemat-sized piece of paper. [lobster bib always optional.]

Answer these prompts:

– What do you want right now, more than anything?

– What’s your life going to be like when you get what you want? What’s it going to look like?

– Who are you when you’re at your best? What elements are in place? Which of these things already support getting what you want?

– What’s the first thing you need to do?

– Whose help do you need to do it?

– When can you start?

Focus, and put your best effort into these questions. When you’re done, you’ll realize that you have a plan, sugar.

Then fold it up and put it in your pocket.

And I’ll bet you, in six months, you’ve accomplished everything that needs doing.

Your new driver gets sideswiped on the freeway by a smug young dude – talking on his phone, of course – and suddenly you’re looking at repairs adding up to thousands of dollars.

Your spouse asks for a divorce.

You ask for a divorce.

Whatever the cause, things change and the goal you’d set for yourself, the goal you’d actually started to make progress on, seems very far away and utterly out of reach.

What do you do? How do you get back on track?

First, you have to come to terms with how mad, frustrated or sad you might be that you’re not where you want to be. It’s not a failure, you’re not a failure. There are always bumps in the road, sugar, and you just met one. Might have been a doozy, and one you’d rather not have faced – but you did, and now it’s part of your reality. Own it.

Wallowing in the unhappiness of what happened will just take you farther from your goal. So drop the unhappiness and shame you might feel about not doing what you said you would, and pick up some self-love. The kind of healthy self-regard that supports you, and gives you the strength to move forward.

But do you want to move forward on the goal? Are you holding on because you think you should? Because you told a lot of people very publicly that you would accomplish it? If so, realize that there is no shame in revising your plan. Whatever abruptly came into your life may have provided you with important information that radically changes the landscape. Smart people take new information into account and modify as necessary, don’t they? And you’re pretty smart. So go ahead – revise and amend your plan.

Because, honey, it’s your plan – no one else’s. And you get to decide what you do.

Then, if the goal is still important and you still really want to do it, take that first step.

Maybe it’s a wobbly first step.

Maybe it’s an incredibly small first step. Like maybe you just sit and visualize what it’s going to be like when you’ve accomplished what you’re setting out to do.

Doesn’t matter. Even if it’s small, or wobbly, or undramatic – it’s good.

It’s movement. It’s movement in the direction you want to go.

And it’s entirely likely you’re going to get there, because even if you have a changed goal and meet with yet another bump in the road it’s not going to be a problem.

Because you met a big bump before and that didn’t stop you, did it? You kept moving forward and growing and loving and learning.